John A. Costello

John Aloysius Costello (20 June 1891-5 January 1976) was Taoiseach of Ireland from 18 February 1948 to 13 June 1951 and from 2 June 1954 to 20 March 1957, each time interrupting Eamon de Valera's terms in office. He was a member of Fine Gael.

Biography
John Aloysius Costello was born in Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland on 20 June 1891. He was educated at University College Dublin, and he was called to the bar in 1914, holding various government offices such as Attorney-General of the Irish Free State from 1926 to 1932. He entered the Dail Eireann in 1933, and he was asked to form a compromise coalition government with Fianna Fail in 1948, despite not being the leader of his own party, Fine Gael. The Inter-Party government of 1948-1951 saw the formal establishment of the Republic of Ireland on 18 April 1949. In 1951, the government fell over the lenghty debate on the "Mother and Child" healthcare scheme, which was strongly opposed by the Catholic Church, and other controversies. In 1954, he formed a second coalition government, and he tried to react to a renewal of IRA activity in Northern Ireland, but this failed. A motion of no confidence was moved, and the government resigned in January 1957.